Last week’s letter (“HB2912”) by Eric Kurland, my Democrat opponent in the state House of Representatives race, criticizing my bill to protect individuals, churches, synagogues, other houses of worship, non-profit organizations, schools, colleges and universities from frivolous lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic was misleading and demonstrates that Kurland either does not know how to read a bill or has no problem misleading the voters to get elected.

Kurland erroneously claims that my bill would have given businesses “…almost full legal and civil immunity” from COVID-related lawsuits against them. Kurland either has no knowledge of civil law or he is purposely misrepresenting my bill. Concerning the liability level, my bill simply raised the liability level from negligence to gross negligence. So rather than creating “almost full legal and civil immunity,” it kept liability for intentional acts, reckless acts and grossly negligent acts. How embarrassing for a wannabe lawmaker to be so ignorant of the law.

Besides being clueless about liability, Kurland was also misleading. He only mentions my bill shielding “businesses” from frivolous lawsuits, but it also shielded individuals, churches, synagogues and other houses of worship, non-profit organizations, schools, colleges and universities.

I am one of the few lawmakers who has actually passed bills into law protecting people and organizations from frivolous lawsuits. My first liability protection bill prohibits criminals from suing their victims. I also created a “vexatious litigant law” that allows judges to screen lawsuits and motions filed by litigants found to have a history of frivolous behavior before they could proceed. Finally, another of my bills protects people who break into overheated cars to rescue babies and pets from being sued for damages.

District 23 deserves a lawmaker who understands the law and does not mislead constituents. Please vote for me, John Kavanagh, on Election Day.